Tag Archives: asparagus

I had some friends in from Boston this weekend and although that usually means drunk brunch, street festivals, and walking the Brooklyn Bridge, it also means a night in, cooking, and catching up over a few bottles of wine. I really had my heart set on lamb, but Brooklyn Fare was fresh out. No worries–we picked up some vegetables and I headed over to the local butcher where I picked up some grass-fed beef filets. I only eat red meat once in a blue moon, so when I do, I like to “do it up” right. The French–gourmonds, chemists, builders of towers Eifel–know how to “do it up” right. A filet crusted with peppercorns, cooked medium-rare topped with a sweet and creamy cognac pan sauce; a side of asparagus with prosciutto, and some greens wilted in garlic and onion. I tried to go a little too fancy with some crispy fried fennel fronds on top, but ended up burning most of them and setting off the smoke detector.

Dinner with a view of Downtown Brooklyn/Fort Greene/New York Harbor

Steak au Poivre:

1 1/2 inch thick beef filet
handful of lightly crushed peppercorns
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 ounce of cognac
6 ounces of heavy cream
Let the filet sit outside of the fridge for about 15 minutes before starting. While letting your cast iron skillet screaming hot (we need a little Milliard action going), press the filet on each side into the crushed peppercorns. Add the butter and oil to the pan and let them get to temperature. Cook the filet 3-4 minutes on one side, flip, and an additional 3-4 minutes on the other, until medium rare. Set the filet aside to rest and while the pan is still hot, turn off the burner and quickly pour the cognac into the pan and ignite the steam (YES, there will be a fireball. YES, you should stand back a little bit. It’s called flambé, which is French for fireball). This should thouroughly deglaze the pan and now it’s time to start scraping vigorously to loosen up all the fond at the bottom of the pan. Let the cognac reduce a bit, then slowly stir in the cream, whisking until thick. Add salt to taste. Pour pan sauce over filet and serve with a side of tinged eyebrows. Or a side of asparagus with prosciutto, and some wilted greens – those aren’t hard. Caramelize some red onions over low heat for 20 minutes, toss in some garlic and turn up to medium. In about 5 minutes, toss in the greens and wilt.